The Department for Trade and Industry is to launch the three-month consultation on the remaining ELV regulations covering free take-back from January 1, 2007.
Commenting on what the consultation paper would be likely to contain, the DTI's head of waste management and vehicle recycling policy, Steve Norgrove, said: “We can expect that (recycling) targets would bite from 2006, and that Own Marque evidence (for free take back) would be needed from then.”
Speaking at the letsrecycle.com conference, Vehicle Recycling: Decision Time, last week, Mr Norgrove outlined some of the DTI's thoughts concerning the government's third consultation paper on ELVs, covering the remaining regulations to implement the directive, which is to be issued mid-December 2003.
He said: “This will include regulations for producer take-back for all vehicles from 2007 and targets for stakeholders. The Directive allows for obligations to fall on any economic operators in the chain – vehicle producers, distributors, collectors, shredders, recyclers, dismantlers and insurance companies. But no final decision has been taken yet on a system for free take-back or targets, although our clear front runner is the 'Own Marque' system.”
Some legislation is already in force, with the UK is now part-way through implementation of the European End of Life Vehicles (ELVs) Directive, which brings in new environmental standards for the storage and treatment of ELVs as well as a system of producer responsibility in reaching new re-use and recycling targets.
Rules covering new environmental standards for treatment facilities, which came into force on November 3, 2003.
- Click here for guidance from the Environment Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on the new ELV treatment standards.
Own Marque
The December consultation paper is expected to explain how the government is likely to establish the Own Marque system for free take-back. Producers would declare responsibility for their brands or through VIN numbers on each vehicle. Producers will have to show evidence for the recycling of 85% of their vehicles, based on Certificate of Destruction weight data. However, there are still issues to address such as who will take responsibility for vehicles imported from non-EU countries.
In recording recycling rates to report compliance, the UK could assume a certain percentage of vehicles is metal and is therefore is definitely being recycled, and concentrate on what is happening to the non-metallic materials like plastic and rubber.
He said: “Rather than seeking to track every item of scrap, we are saying to the Commission we should assume a certain proportion of the scrap that can be taken as a given, that 75% of the vehicle is metallic, and then concentrate on the recycling of the non-metallic scrap. Any changes in technology would then be taken into account later on.”
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